Air conditioning apparatus



Nov. 19, 1935. F. P; WALSH AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed March 20,1954 57 54 53 JNVENTOR.

5 7 W BY 2 E TORANEY Patented Nov. 19, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT orricr.

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Frank P. Walsh, Berkeley, Calif.

Application March 20, 1934, Serial No. 716,452

3 Claims. (01. 261-103) wherein the humidity of the air is increased bycirculation and/or recirculation through a moisture containing filterunit.

' An object of the invention is to provide an improved moisturecontaining contact unit air conditioning apparatus which is practical,efficient and simple in construction.

' Another object of the invention is to provide a moisture introducingand distributing means for air conditioning apparatus that can becheaply manufactured and which will function in an efilcient andefiective manner.

In conditioning air it is well known that mere circulation alone isinsufiicient to produce comfortable and desirable conditions in a room.It is also necessary, particularly in hot and dry climates, to introducea certain amount of moisture into the circulating air in order toproduce the proper degree of humidity. In the past, the introduction ofmoisture has been accomplished by circulating air through sprays and/orthrough wet sheets and the like. In the first instance it often happenedthat the air became too moist and in the latter instance the characterof the sheets greatly retarded the circulation of air. It is therefore afurther object of this invention to provide a contact moisture impartingdevice through which the circulating air may flow freely withoutrequiring any great velocity or pressure, and at the same time providefor a uniform dis tribution of the moisture throughout the entire areaof the contact unit.

With the above and other objects in view, the

invention resides in the construction, combination and arrangement ofparts substantially as will be hereinafter described and moreparticularly defined by the appended claims.

For a better understanding of the invention reference should be had tothe accompanying drawing wherein there are shown, by way of illustrationand not of limitation, prefered embodiments thereof.

45 In thedrawing;

1- is a plan view, in section, showing apparatus of the charactercontemplated by the present invention installed over an opening, for

Figure 554 apparatus illustrated in Figure 1, with parts broken faway toshow the interior details thereof,

Figure 4 is a side elevation, in section, showing apparatus suitable foruse in circulating and recirculating the air within a room,

Figure 5 is a plan view, partly in section, of 5 the apparatusillustrated in Figure 4,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view showing the construction of a preferredform of the air moistening and filtering unit,

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view showing a de- 19 tail of the filtermoistening means contemplated by this invention, and

Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showinga modified form of the invention.

In Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing, l0 desig- 15 nates the wall of abuilding having an opening ll therein. This opening ll may be a transom,a window or an opening formed especially for use in connection with theair conditioning apparatus. Secured upon the wall Ill, there is'a sheet20 metal housing l2 having end walls l3 and a front wall I4 which,together with the top and bottom of the housing, serve to form a fluethat conducts the air drawn in at the opening II to the air conditioningapparatus to be herein- 5 after described. Projecting outwardly from thewall It of the housing I2 is an air discharge outlet l5 having louversit across the open end thereof. Disposed in alignment with the outlet I5and projecting rearwardly into the housing I2, 30 there is a suitableframe II, to which is secured a large filter unit I8 and two smallerfilter units Ill. The filter units l9 are arranged at the ends of theunit l8 and are disposed at a, right angle thereto so that the threefilter units form a con- 36 tinuous surface, through which air enteringat the opening II will be required to pass before it is discharged atthe louvered end of the outa let l5. A fan 20, for creating acirculation of air from the opening ll through the filter units I8 andI8, is mounted upon hearing pedestals 2! and disposed in a baffle 22which extends across the outlet Hi. This fan 20 is driven at a slowspeed by a small fractional horsepower motor 23 "through a belt flwhichisaccommodated by suit- 4 able pulleys upon the fan and motorshafts. When thefan 20-is in operation .it will create .a-

. gen'tle circulation of air-from the opening i1 throug'h'thelilteriunlts 18. and'ISjtothelouvered "dmposedrespectlvelyandcentrally'over the filter units l2 and I2. Theselatter portions 22 and21 of the water supply pipe 2| have spaced perforations along theirlower surfaces, through which the water will be uniformly distributedover the total horizontal length of each of the filter units. Operatingin conjunction with the water supply system, to carry off anyexoess'water, isa drip pan 28 which extends beneath the filter units Itand I9. Thisdrippanflcanbeprovidedwith an overflow drain pipe. However,under normal operating conditions it is intended to so regulate thewater feed that no more water than can be takenupbytheincomingairwillfiowtothe filter units. A valve 29, for regulatingthe flow of water, is provided in the water supply pipe 22. This valve29 is shown as located within the housing I! but, if desired, it may belocated at any other convenient point.

Before describing further details of the construction, illustrated inthe above figures of the drawing, reference is now made to Figures 4 and5 of the drawing which show a modified form of apparatus for.circulating and recirculating the air within a room without requiring asupply of fresh air from the outdoors. The apparatus illustrated inthese figures of the drawing comprises ,a rectangular housing 22 havinglouvered openings 2| and 22 located respectively in its front and backwalls. Located between the louvered openings 2| and 22 is a transverselyextending baflle 22 having an opening in which a fan operates. The fan24 is shown as mounted upon pedestal bearings 25 and as driven by asuitable motor 22 through a belt 21. Extending across the louveredopening 32 in therearwallofthehousing" isanair filtering and moisteningunit 22, through which the incoming air must pass. A water supply pipe29, having a perforated end 42 and a regulating valve 4|, cooperateswith the filtering and moistening unit 22 to provide the proper amountof water.

In order to provide for rigidity in the apparatus, above described, eachof the fans 22 and 34, together with its driving motor and supportingpedestals, is mounted upon a suitable metallic bed plate 42, and thebottom of each of the housings l2 and 20 is formed of a slate orconcrete slab 42. A layer of felt or other yielding material is thendisposed between the bed plate 42 and the slate or concrete slab 42.With this arrangement all vibration produced by the fan and its drivingmotor will be damped out and as a result the apparatus will operatesilently. An advantage obtained by the use of a concrete slab, in thelatter described air conditioning apparatus, is that a low center ofgravity is produced and as a result the apparatus will be render morestable.

Figure 6 of the drawing illustrates an arrangement which has been foundvery satisfactory for a filter unit. The filter unit, here shown, has aU-shaped frame 44 which holds a pair of perforated plates 45 in spacedrelation. The plates 45 are composed of sheets of metal havingperforations 46 located in spaced relation throughout their entiresurfaces. These plates ll can be made in other ways, for instance, theymay be constructed of heavy wire screening. Lightly packed between theplates 45 is a layer of fibrous material 41. A preferred type of fibrousmaterial is excelsior, such as is used in packing glassware and thelike. Wood shavings and other fibrous material can also be used for thispurpose. The principal function of the fibrous material 41 is to impartmoisture to the air. Therefore, it is important, in using excelsior orother coarse moisture absorbing fibrous material, that the material belightly packed between the plates ll so that it will not interfere withthe free circuiai tlon of air therethrough. While the filter unitsareillustratedinthedrawingasofarelatively small dimension in thickness,it is to beunderstoodthatthethicknessmaybeincreaseddependingupontheairvelocityandtheamountof l0 moisture to be absorbed. 'To prevent a settling of thefibrous material and maintain an even and loose distribution thereofbetween the plates 42, there is a piece of galvanized chicken wire 42with which the fibrous material interlocks. A ll settling of the fibrousmaterial between the plates ll can also be prevented by threading shortlengths of wire through the perforations II from one plate II to theother at different levels throughout their areas. The top of the frameso I 44 is left open so that the water which is supplied to the fibrousmaterial, to moisten the incoming air, may drop directly upon thefibrous material and then travel downwardly until all of the materialhas become saturated.

When the filter unit, illustrated in Figure 6 of the drawing, isdisposed in its operating position, with the perforated water supplypipe extending along the upper edge thereof, the fiow of watercanberegulatedso astosupplyonlythatamount so of moisture which the airpassing through the filter can absorb. The operation of such a filterunit will require very little water and, therefore, means must beprovided which will produce a slow and uniform drip of water upon thefibrous as material throughout its horizontal length. Where thedischarge pipe is merely perforated, it has been found that some of theholes will become stopped and others, because of a difierence inpressure due to the length of the pipe, will 40 drop too much-water.This is remedied, in accordance with the present invention, by placing asmall wick 49 in each of the apertures formed in the discharge pipe.Such an arrangement is illustrated in Figure '1 of the drawing.

The apparatus described above is primarily intended for the conditioningof air in a relatively small room and, while one unit may ordinarily besufilcient, more than one unit can be provided in a single room, ifrequired. The imso portaut feature of the above described apparatus isthat the air circulating fan operates at a relatively slow speed and,therefore, the fibrous material of the filter units must be supportedloosely between the plates 45 so that it will not as interfere with afree circulation of air therethrough. In other words, when properlydesigned, the circulating fan should produce no more than a gentlebreeze at the discharge outlet of the apparatus.

By using a slow speed fan of large diameter and providing a large areaof loosely packed and moistened fibrous material, as described above, itwill be possible to effectively reduce the temperature of air, having arelative humidity of as from twenty per cent (20%) to thirty per cent(30%), ten-or twelve degrees in a cheap and efilcient manner. Areduction in temperature of twelve degrees (12) in air having the aboverelative humidity can be accomplished if only 10 one and one half (156)grains of water are-taken up by every cubic foot of air passing throughthe filter unit.

AsshowninPlgureiiofthedrawing,thepresent invention can also be used forconditioning 1i the air of a large auditorium by embodying the abovedescribed elements of the apparatus in the building structure. As shownin this view of the drawing, the numerals 50 and Si te the two opposedfans which are disposed in bailies I2 and II and are driven by a motorI4. The baiiles 62 and 53 are shown as arranged in the loft of abuilding beneath the roof. Extending from the bal'iles 52 and 53 thereare conduits 55 and 56 which lead to suitable outlets 51 and 58 formedin a ceiling 59 of the building. Disposed between the fans 50 and Si andcommunicating with the space between the baiiies 52 and 53, there is acupola Gil having filter units 6| located in the sides thereof. Thesefilter units 6|, like the filter unit's ll, l9 and 38, are also providedwith a water supply system which will keep them in a moist condition.With this arrangement the air will be drawn in through the filter units6|, moistened, and discharged by the fans 50 and ii through the outlets51 and 58 into the room or auditorium, over which the ceiling 59extends.-

It is believed that the operation of the air conditioning apparatuscontemplated by this invention will be clearly understood from the aboveand, therefore, no further description is thought necessary.

While I have, for the sake oi! clearness and in order to disclose theinvention so that the same can be readily understood, described andillustrated specific devices and arrangements, it is to be imderstoodthat the invention is not limited to the specific means disclosed butmay be embodied in other ways that will suggest themselves to personsskilled in the art. It is believed that the-invention is broadly new andit is deslredtoclaim itsothatallsuchchangesascome within the scope ofthe appended claims are to be considered as part of the invention. 8

Having thus described my invention, what I claimand desire to secure byLetters Patent is 1. In a device of the character described, thecombination of spaced vertically disposed supports through which air mayfreely circulate, a 10 large mesh wire screen located centrally betweensaid supports and a loosely packed mass of excelsior completely fillingthe space between said supports and interlocking with said wire screento prevent a settling thereof between said sup- P rts.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a pair ofvertically disposed periorated plates, a wide mesh wire screen locatedcentrally between said plates, and a layer of excelsior located betweensaid screen and plates, said excelsior being loosely packed in positionand stuffed through and interlocking with said screen to preventsettling of theexcelsior.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of spacedvertically disposed supports through which air may circulate ireely,wire screening located between said supports, a filler of excelsiorloosely and evenly packed between said supports and being stufl'edthrough and in interlocking engagement with the wire screening toprevent settling and compacting oi the excelsior.

FRANK P. WALSH.

